The main experience of Laura Welch Bush

One night in June, Laura was going to a party and asked her father to lend her her car. Normally, neither Laura's mother Jenna nor her father Harold Welch allow Laura to do such a thing. But Laura, who just finished her birthday on 17, has grown into a smart, generous and gentle girl. Her friend is a primary school classmate who has been in contact for many years. Jenna and Harold also agreed to Laura's request.

It's a dry night, and bright stars shine in the night sky of Texas. Laura took her father's car keys and drove out of Humber Street. Jenna's mother went on reading while Harold's father was watching TV. Soon, the telephone rang-"I'm very sorry, I have to inform you …" The caller asked Laura's parents to rush to Midland Memorial Hospital immediately.

Later, Laura's parents knew what had happened. At that time, Laura and her good friend Judy Dykes were driving along Farm Highway 868. Laura obviously didn't notice the standard speed limit sign of 50 miles per hour, nor did she notice a Chevrolet colville about to cross the road at the intersection ahead. Then, the tragedy happened. The police officer told Jenna and Harold that Laura was all right, just scratched her skin. She was depressed after the car accident, and her friend Judy was not hurt. But mike douglas, a boy in another car, was not spared. Due to the excessive impact, Chevrolet was hit like a crumpled paper ball, and the chassis was completely deformed.

Douglas died of a broken neck when he was taken to the hospital. When the car accident happened, his father followed in another car and witnessed the whole process. The report appeared on the front page of the Midland Post. The report didn't blame Laura, but the whole Midland knew who caused the accident.

Inadvertently killing a life is a real tragedy for Laura who is only 17 years old. What makes her more miserable is that Douglas is still her good friend. After the car accident, Laura often suffered grief alone. Later, she admitted that the pain almost "crushed her".

Laura's friends all went to mike douglas's funeral, so Laura had to stay at home and sob alone. "Those days were really hard," said Laura's good friend Reagan Jimon. "To some extent, everyone has changed. I was so sad at the time, I was afraid I didn't notice how sad Laura would be. "

A few weeks later, Laura returned to school. No one mentioned the car accident to her, and she was more depressed than usual. Laura has not been charged by the police. Douglas's car accident was the second accident that happened at that intersection that year. Perhaps the local police also think-as Laura described to the biographer many years later-that this is "a tragedy".

Laura later said that Douglas's death "made me think more about life". After George W. Bush was elected president, Americans generally believe that calmness and strength are two rare qualities of first lady Laura, which can be seen from Laura's performance in After the Car Accident. Young Laura became more cautious. She is restrained in all aspects and is willing to help others. "This is a terrible tragedy," Laura said, "but I also have to accept that death is a part of life. Douglas is dead, and no one can change the fact. For all of us, this is a blow and an inspiration-life is too short to cherish. " Laura's mother Jenna Hawkins is the only child in the family. She has always been self-reliant, and her personality has not changed since 1944 married Harold Welch. After the war, Harold worked in a financial company in El Paso. His ideal is to have a house like his father's. So he and Jenna moved to Midland, built some workshops and did oil business. Harold likes nagging and is full of personal charm. He put all his energy into his work. Jenna is elegant and reserved, and her interests are all in books.

1946 Jenna miscarried several times after Laura was born, but Harold and Jenna still wanted more children very much. They told Laura that they wanted to find a younger brother or sister for her. One day, Harold and Jenna took Laura to a foster home in Glennie, Fort Worth, but in the end they didn't adopt other children. Laura felt that she had to bring spiritual happiness to her parents since she was a child. "I think I have such an obligation," she said. "I don't want to upset them in any way." Laura took dance and swimming classes and was a member of the choir of the First United Methodist Church. After school, she and her good friends, Reagan Jimon and Peggy Porter Weiss, will ride bicycles to take drugs for cherry coke. When they grow up, they like to go out in the same car. "Every time we went out, there were at least five girls in the car," Weiss recalled. "We like to lie on the ground in the back seat of the car and smoke Jian cigarettes." At that time, they often held dances, and The Beatles's music was the most popular at that time. Laura said, "I remember the feeling of hiding myself."

In the last year of high school, two sad things happened: one was the assassination of President Kennedy, and the other was Douglas's death in a car accident. After graduating from high school, Laura entered Southern Methodist University, a Dallas missionary school. Laura chose education as her major. She attended a sorority and lived in a brick house in the artistic style of King George's time. There is a spiral staircase in the house, and the girls are very quiet when they walk on it. "Girls have to wear school uniforms at school," Laura recalled those days. "That's a very conservative school. I mean, my classmates smoke, so do I. They drink. That was the way our students indulged themselves at that time. "

Laura has been studying hard. She also teaches at Sunday school, but she is not a nerd. She has many dates. "Her room will always be the center of happiness," said Laura's classmate Susan Nolin. 1968, Laura likes loose tops worn by farmers and bell bottoms worn by hippie women, but she never dresses herself like this.

That summer, she traveled to Europe for a few weeks, and in September, she began to teach the third grade in Dallas public schools. There are three other ladies in her apartment. Although the school rules are harsh and unexpected, Laura likes her new challenge very much. "There are 20 people in a class, which is a small number," she said with a smile. "But if you haven't taught, 20 people will be a lot." Later, Laura decided to go to the graduate school of library science. 1974, she came to southeast Austin and became the librarian of Molly Townsend Primary School. When Laura worked in Townsend, she never discussed the details of her private life with her colleagues. It was not until 1977 that people knew that she was dating a man named George Bush. Laura's colleague Vicky Sillis at school said, "Her eyes are shining like never before." . One day after work, Bush came to Townsend. She was a little shy and asked, "Who wants to know Bush, come with me." Then we all said,' Oh, my God, Laura, he's amazing. "

One night in August, Bush and Laura met at a picnic in Midland. Joe and Jane O 'Neill, who were introduced, thought that Bush fell in love with Laura immediately. As soon as he stayed until midnight that night, Laura seemed to be attracted by every word he said. Later Laura told her mother that Bush made her laugh. "I think he is interesting and smart," Laura said of her impression of her husband. "He is really funny, even when he is amused, so I will find it more interesting." In this description, Laura mentioned Bush's "joy" and "fun" five times.

After knowing Bush, Laura immediately noticed the particularity of the Bush family. She said, "I'm not interested in politics. I think he is a real politician, but I am not. " However, at the picnic, Laura agreed to associate with Bush. "I guess, because we are the only unmarried young people in Midland," Laura said with a smile. In the following days, Bush drove to Austin almost every weekend.

3 1 year-old Bush is quick-thinking, highly educated and has obtained management diplomas from Yale University and Harvard University. This "Bush Boy"-called Bush by Midland's friends-joined the Texas National Guard and became a pilot after graduation. There, he was engaged to Catherine Wolfgang from Houston. She was a serious and beautiful art student, but they finally broke up. From 65438 to 0977, Bush started the oil business in Midland, and soon after, he set his goal to enter Congress.

"He doesn't care about material comforts," Robert McCleskey, who has known Bush since middle school, said with a smile. "He doesn't spend much money. He has an old car, and he drives it around. This is what he needs. " Bush lives in the garage, and his trampoline must be tied together with an old tie. Laura was 30 when Bush met her. In his autobiography, he wrote that Laura was "dazzling, humorous, down-to-earth and extremely intelligent". As a result, Bush began an active pursuit. /kloc-0 At the beginning of 0/0, he took Laura to see her parents. George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara, then director of the US Liaison Office in People's Republic of China (PRC), had just returned from China and had a short rest at their home in Houston. Bush's brother is also in Houston. They all want to play tricks on Bush's new girlfriend.

Bush finally took Laura into the door, and Laura looked a little cautious. Suddenly, Bush's younger brother Jeb came up to her, knelt on one leg and stretched out a hand. "You haven't asked her this question, have you, brother?" Bush's face turned red, but Laura replied unhurriedly, "Yes, he asked, and I promised him." Bush's brothers gave a cheer, and Bush and Barbara found that their eldest son was ready to marry Laura home. "We didn't realize that he was really getting married until he brought this beautiful girl back and publicly announced that she would be his wife." Barbara said. The news that they will get married so soon also surprised their friends. After the wedding, Bush and Laura went to Mexico for their honeymoon. The real honeymoon is arranged in the second year. During the campaign of the newlyweds, they went to western Texas and enjoyed delicious toast. At that time, Bush canvassed in Texas and visited every local bakery and fish shop. During this period, the couple got to know each other better. Laura often talks with her husband and suspicious voters, and her life is completely occupied by politics. Laura never said a word of complaint about it. Later, she also admitted that "the pressure of running for public office and the need to adapt to the role change after marriage are enough for me to worry about."

Laura got some advice from her mother-in-law, when she was canvassing with Bush in the towns of Mueller Huey, Flora, Auda and Bovina in West Texas. As the wife of an old politician, Barbara's answer is ready-made-"never criticize his speech."

But Laura didn't do it completely. One night in Catelas, when they were driving home, Bush kept asking Laura what he thought of his evening speech. Laura hesitated for a moment and finally said "not so good". Bush immediately drove the car to the wall of the garage.

This matter has been mentioned by Laura. Many American women think that Laura should not regard shyness as a virtue. Female voters feel that if Laura has her own ideas, she should share them with everyone. This incident also shows that Laura still dares to "contradict" her determined mother-in-law Barbara.

After many years, Laura has her own views on the political process and a unique evaluation of her husband. "He ignored several steps," she said of Bush's first failure in running for public office, "but he was still smart. He knows that many politicians just choose the right time. " Laura is constantly adjusting herself. She always looks at problems positively. She regarded the process of campaigning with Bush for several months as a great adventure.

1978165438+10 In October, the Bushes returned to their hometown after losing the election. Like other oil businessmen in West Texas, Bush goes to work in the oil building every day. He hoped that his oil well would never dry up. Laura's life is laundry, cooking, gardening and reading. They will take part in some social activities on weekends and go to church together on Sunday morning. In addition to this brisk pace of life, Laura's political class continues. When Bush was running for president, he asked his sons to make suggestions and raise campaign funds together.

After three months of marriage, Laura saw how her father-in-law George H.W. Bush was sworn in as Reagan's vice president. Laura firmly plays the role of "politician's wife" in public, and her ability to deal with life and personal life is probably cultivated from then on. She demands to be honest with herself all the time. When living in Midland, she always wore a white shirt and jeans. From 65438 to 0989, because Bush took over the Texas Shepherd baseball team and their family moved to Dallas, Laura had more contact with her rich wife. At this time, she was still wearing a white shirt and jeans. Her old friends often say to her, "Laura is what you see." Mr. and Mrs. Bush wanted a child very much, but they never succeeded. From the beginning, they knew that both of them liked children. They also went to Fort Worth and found a grandmother's adoption home where Laura's parents wanted to adopt their children. However, before the adoption plan was finalized, Laura's doctor brought good news: Laura was pregnant and was still twins according to the examination. Laura said, "Don't mention how excited we were when we learned that we had two children at once." . Bush continued to run his oil company in Midland, and Laura's task became to learn parenting knowledge, and her actions became more and more arduous. Lin Yueliang, Laura's good friend, recalled: "Oh, her belly is so big that it is difficult to walk."

Laura's doctors are very worried about her big belly because she is older and has more difficulties in getting pregnant. Laura became more and more afraid, and even tried not to take the baby food shelf when shopping in the store. Finally, her activities are limited to bed. Then, Laura was diagnosed with toxemia, which can raise blood pressure, compress the mother's artery and reduce the blood flow to the fetus. Suddenly, the lives of Laura and her two children were threatened, which made Bush very alarmed. Later, he said that this dangerous pregnancy was the biggest challenge for the Bushes.

Laura was rushed to Baylor Hospital seven weeks before the due date. After some examination, the doctors decided to take out the twins by surgery. Of course, if the fetus is too small, it will reduce the possibility of survival, but if it stays in the mother's body, it will endanger Laura. Realizing that he might lose his wife, Bush immediately agreed to the doctor's decision. However, Laura is firmly opposed to doing so. "Babies must be born healthy," Laura said. "They must stay in my stomach until they are big enough." Bush had to agree. "She wanted to give them the best chance of survival," he said later. "She is a hero. She made an incredible decision to protect our children. I always remember how she gave me confidence on this day. "

That autumn, Bush traveled from Midland to Dallas, 350 miles away, several times a week. Before Thanksgiving, he went home, but he still kept in touch with the doctor by phone. 165438+1On the morning of October 20th, Laura's doctor called Bush and said, "Your baby will be born tomorrow!"

"Are you sure?" Bush asked, "Five weeks in advance."

"Oh, unless you want your wife's kidney to have a problem ..."

The next morning, Bush saw his daughters born in the hospital. Bush said, "I was in the operating room, and I always remembered to show them to Laura." . "My eyes filled with tears. I understand that our lives have been changed forever. These two little things only need the love of mom and dad. Laura, who has experienced the pain of having a daughter, regards her daughter as the whole meaning of her life.

Laura read to her daughters every day after they were born. Little Jenna often plays some practical jokes when she grows up, which makes Bush very angry. Laura usually doesn't say a word. She doesn't want to restrict the children from doing this and that. She likes to share happiness and joy with them. In a presidential speech, Laura said, "Children are not born with all kinds of rules. Before I got married with George H.W. Bush, we each had a theory of caring for children. Now we have a pair of daughters, but there is no theory. "

When living in Midland, Laura would go to the garden to relax from time to time after the children fell asleep. She not only has to get rid of the busy child-rearing work temporarily, but also takes care of her husband. Falling oil prices have led to a decline in Bush's business. "Everyone is in the same boat," said Susan Evans, a colleague of Bush. "It was really hard at the time. We often hold dinner parties. " At this kind of dinner, Bush always drinks a lot. Sometimes Laura had to push him quietly to remind him not to drink any more, but Bush seldom listened to Laura's advice. She began to beg him to give up drinking. Finally, she came up with an ultimatum: "Am I still Jim Liang?"

Bush had no choice but to give up drinking altogether. Laura talked about it later. "There are many versions of jokes about this matter, saying that I should choose wine. Actually, I never said that. I guess this is a joke made up by Bush. "

In her opinion, Bush himself is willing to give up drinking, and she just acts as a catalyst. This is also a point worthy of people's respect for laura bush, who helped Bush become the president of the United States with her personal strength. If Bush keeps drinking, he will never be the head of state. "He will restrain himself in many ways, except drinking," Laura said. "I think he will feel much better after giving up drinking."

Soon after, Bush sold the bankrupt company and his family moved to Washington, where he joined Bush's campaign team. Then, Bush became interested in running for governor of Texas. Laura is not sure about it. She hopes that Bush can understand that he must do something for himself, not for others. I'm afraid every middle-aged woman can understand Laura's thoughts at that time. Her parents are over sixty, her father is still in pain, and her mother has just escaped from the clutches of breast cancer. Her children have entered adolescence and are testing their parents' bottom line every day. Her husband turned to her for the greatest moral support. Laura wants to balance all kinds of contradictions at home. She relaxes herself by reading books and getting together with friends. She also revealed that she was curious to know what kind of life a politician's wife would lead.

In an article in the Dallas Morning Post, a conversation between the Bushes was described. Bush told Laura that she would think that "the life of the first lady is great and happy", but Laura was not interested. She replied, "It will be better than I expected. Many times, I think, Oh, what should I do? "

After living in the governor's residence in Austin, the Bush couple's marriage became a model for many people. Bush's hobby is constantly looking for new competitors and constantly surpassing them. Laura should control his speed, let him slow down when it is time to slow down, and remind him not to be impulsive and aggressive.

If Bush is the ruler of this country, Laura is his ruler. When he is excited about something, Laura will give him a look and ask him to stop at the right time. Tara Smith, Bush's legal adviser, said that whenever Bush said too much, Laura would quietly remind him, "You have said enough."

Laura's job is probably the strangest job in the world-"First Lady", but Laura doesn't like the title. All her employees know not to use it in front of Laura. When they mentioned her, they all called her "Mrs. Bush" or "laura bush". Laura once secretly said, "You know, I never thought of myself as the first lady." the White House

200 1 1 54-year-old laura bush, as one of the most unknown first ladies in American history, quietly entered the White House. Moreover, since then, she has always avoided the spotlight. Most of her activities are inaccessible or difficult to explore by the media, such as going to the British embassy to enjoy roses with other ladies; Even when she accompanied Bush to visit Europe, she stood by quietly, unlike some first ladies in the past. But this time, sitting comfortably in an armchair in the map room of the White House, she told reporters about her dreams and hobbies, her expectations for her two 20-year-old twin daughters, and, of course, her love with US President George Bush and White House life. With a calm voice and humble tone, Laura speaks slowly with a faint Texas accent, but at the same time, she also has confidence as the first lady. "You see, we have a very familiar family. We have a large group of my husband's old friends-many of them were friends when we lived here at 1987 and 1988. Before the first election of the Bush family (when Bush was the vice president, it was the Bush and his son), we called them 4 1 and the 43rd President Bush. " Laura explained as she spoke, and then smiled. "When we came here, some of our closest friends came with us." .

The president serves coffee in the morning.

She and her husband, as the president, continue the habit of their first marriage as usual: every morning at 5: 30, he will bring her a cup of coffee in bed. Is it really half past five? "Yes, at half past five, we go to bed early. From 5: 30 to 7: 00, we read newspapers and have coffee. Our pets are in the bedroom-two dogs and two cats. They slept very late, which made it very, very difficult for Barney to get up. " Laura is a person who pays attention to the law of life. Whenever George W. Bush and his assistants stay in the office for too long after work and forget to go home, Laura will rush to George W. Bush's office, interrupt their chat very politely and resolutely, and say to George W. Bush's assistant, "Excuse me, I want my husband to do something with me." Old Bush often smiled and said, "Look, as soon as I get off work, someone is better than me." Then everyone broke up.

Encourage your daughter to become a famous teacher.

From 65438 to 0998, with the help of laura bush, Texas allocated 2150,000 dollars for primary schools.

Laura said, "That's what my daughter did. In fact, when we lived in Washington for a year and a half, they and one of their friends rushed down the stairs and said,' Jenna wants to be a teacher!' Then "Barbara wants to be a teacher!" Fight each other. So I said,' Well, you all want to be teachers. You can teach dolls first, and then have a meeting in the teachers' lounge to discuss your teaching experience. Laura has been laughing. Then they spend all their time in the teachers' lounge, discussing their "students".

Get along well with your mother-in-law

People compare Barbara bush and laura bush, the two Mistresses of Bush. The relationship between George W. Bush and his mother is very close. Mother and son often play jokes on each other and sometimes want to be each other's masters in some things. Glegg stapp Leighton, a close friend of the Bushes, said Laura didn't argue with her mother-in-law Barbara at all. She always listens to her mother-in-law patiently and does what she thinks should be done. Stapp Leiden thinks that Laura has handled the relationship with her mother-in-law very well.

Re-election preparation

US President George W Bush wants to keep the White House presidency, while the Democratic Party wants to reproduce the glory of the Clinton era. With the approaching of the election period, the election campaign between the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party is becoming increasingly fierce. Both sides have thrown a killer weapon. Here, the Democratic Party accused Bush of "evading military service", and there, the * * * Party said that Kerry would be "sexier" than Clinton in the White House. In Bush's election campaign, First Lady laura bush is definitely a "secret weapon". She can always save Bush from danger on some key occasions.

Laura said that she was not worried about the decline in her husband's support rate, and even said that this was the result of a large amount of election funds from the Democratic Party. She said: "I think part of the reason is that Democrats have spent $654.38 billion on campaign funds, and their main campaign is aimed at cracking down on Bush."

Democratic pollsters once conducted a poll on Laura, and the results showed that Laura's greatest advantage was her firmness and affinity. They said, "People like her because they think Wen Ya has dignity. People like her because she consolidated Bush's education policy. People like her because she is approachable. People like her, especially women, because she is not attached to her husband, not the kind of woman who talks endlessly. "

Laura is a successful fundraiser. She rarely helped Bush fight a "war of words" and focused on raising campaign funds for Bush. At the Four Seasons Hotel in California, she raised $65,438+$7,000 for the second time.

On June 30th, 2004, 10, American media reported that Pierre, the fashion design teacher of First Lady laura bush, had started to design dresses for the first lady to attend the inaugural ball of Bush's re-election, although there were still doubts about whether President George W. Bush could successfully enter the White House.

Love me, love my dog

Laura revealed that they have three small animals-two puppies and a kitten named "India", who share a bedroom with the US President and his wife. Three small animals go to bed much later than the two of them. Barney, the dog, likes to sleep late.

After the two puppies honestly lay down beside her chair, Laura went on to talk about the first time that George W. Bush moved into the White House after winning the election: "Friends and relatives also came to help soon, such as my husband's younger brother and his family. I often meet with their families. " Laura went on to say, "When my father-in-law ran for president in 1987 and 1988, our family made many friends in Washington. Now when we talk about the two Bush presidents together, we have to use 4 1 or 43 to distinguish them. " Speaking of which, Laura smiled softly. "When we moved into the White House, many old friends also came to Washington, such as my husband's old friend Clay Johnson, who now works in the White House. And Secretary of Commerce Don Evans. His wife and I have been classmates since the first grade of primary school. It can be said that most of our friends are old friends of us or our family. "

Sign a new book

On April 23rd, 2008, the first lady of the United States, laura bush, and her daughter Jenna Bush signed their new book Reading to Children in New Jersey. Based on their teaching experience, Laura and her daughter Jenna jointly wrote this children's book about cultivating reading pleasure. In June 2007, Laura visited Senegal, Mozambique, Zambia and Mali in Africa to inspect the AIDS and malaria prevention and control projects funded by the United States.

From June 5th to1October 20th, 2007, Laura began to visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and United Arab Emirates. Although the main topic of her visit focused on women's health and education, some analysts pointed out that this visit was at a critical moment when Bush wanted to promote the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The White House obviously wants to visit abroad as a moderate first lady to win the favor of at least some people for Bush, who has a bad reputation in the Middle East. On February 10, 2007, Obama officially announced his participation in the 2008 US presidential election on the platform of ending the Iraq war and promoting the universal health insurance system, and was officially elected on February 10/4, 2008. When george walker bush's presidency ends, Laura and his wife need to leave the White House.

Laura visited the White House for the first time to attend the inauguration ceremony of her father-in-law george herbert walker bush 1989. She said that she fell in love with the White House at once, not only because of its beauty, but also because it brought people an unexpected comfort and warmth. "It's magnificent, but it's not huge," she said. "It is more humane than many other leaders' residences. I like the White House because it is more in line with our country. "

After Obama and his family moved to the White House, the Laura family moved to Dallas.

"I have good expectations for another home and another life," Laura said, "but I have mixed feelings. I don't think anyone can forget the awe brought by the White House. "

Mr. and Mrs. Bush had to borrow a dining table and chairs from their friends. They lived in an upscale residential area in Preston Valley, Dallas. Laura said that she cooked her own breakfast and dinner was usually prepared by friends to welcome them back to this town. Mr. and Mrs. Bush held several big banquets with their friends, but they had to borrow furniture everywhere to entertain their guests. Laura said, "our new home has very little furniture, not even a kitchen counter and dining table." My friend lent me a dining table. I invited 16 guests to dinner a few days ago, and there were not enough chairs. I had to borrow some chairs from the Federal Economic Intelligence Agency next door. " Laura said, "The only thing we don't have is newspapers. The Dallas Morning Post arrived late. The newspapers we read are basically outdated news. " I hope to visit Afghanistan again. She has been to Afghanistan three times, including two solo visits without President Bush. No first lady of the United States had visited Afghanistan before her. Laura said that she hopes to go to Afghanistan again, and she is concerned about the activities of the Obama administration in the region. She hoped that the government and the American people would continue to support the reconstruction work in Afghanistan.